An Amish Wife for Christmas

by Patricia Davids

  “You want me to know you are in charge of Ivan, and you don’t want me to interfere.”

  He had practically taken the words out of her mouth. Some of her bluster ebbed away. “That’s true. I’m the head of the household.”

  “I understand and I respect that,” he said softly.

  His intense gaze left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. Could he tell she doubted her ability to keep her family together? That she felt backed into a corner by the bishop’s words? There was no way he could know what was in her mind yet she was sure that he did. She started for the door. “I hope you will be comfortable here.”

  “I hope so, too. Good night, Bethany.”

  The gentle way he said her name with such longing brought goose bumps to her arms. She hurried out the door before she could change her mind and stay to learn more about her unusual new neighbor.

  Early the next morning the sound of someone chopping wood woke Bethany from a restless sleep. Knowing it would be useless to stay in bed, she got up and dressed for the day. Downstairs she put on a pot of coffee and enjoyed one cup in solitude. As she watched the eastern sky grow lighter, her thoughts turned to Michael. Her annoyance had vanished in the night.

  Was he right to exclude her from his talk with Ivan? Last night she didn’t think so, but now she was able to look at the situation without embarrassment clouding her thinking. She had been prepared to be a buffer between Ivan and Michael. She wanted her brother to make amends, but she didn’t want his punishment to be unjust. Perhaps it was better that she stayed out of it and let Ivan face the consequences of his actions alone.

  She glanced at the clock on the wall. Once the children were off to school she still intended to have a talk with Michael. Rising to her feet, she started on breakfast. When the eggs and oatmeal were ready, she called up the stairs. “Ivan, Jenny, time to get ready for school.”

  She returned to the kitchen and set plates and bowls on the table. It wasn’t long before Jenny came down still in her nightgown. She made a beeline to the stove, where she warmed her hands. The upstairs bedrooms weren’t heated. Hot flannel-wrapped bricks helped stave off some of the chill, but they didn’t last all night. The heavy quilts only helped as long as a person stayed in bed.

  When Ivan didn’t appear, Bethany went to the staircase again. “Ivan. Time to get ready for school. Did you hear me?”

  As she was waiting for a reply, the back door opened and he came in bundled from head to toe in his work clothes. He bent to pull off his boots. “We got four more inches of snow last night. The snowplow just went by on the road and left a huge pile of snow on our side.”

  She stared at him in amazement. “What were you doing outside?”

  “I was chopping wood for Michael, and I shoveled the path to his house. I fed and watered our animals, too, but I didn’t gather the eggs. Jenny should do that for you. I’m really hungry. What’s for breakfast?”

  “Scrambled eggs and oatmeal. It is nice of you to make sure Michael had wood for his fireplace.”

  “I have to do it for a month.” He didn’t sound resentful at all. He was actually smiling as he sat down at the table and pulled off his stocking cap.

  “How long is he making you do my chores?” Bethany asked.

  “He isn’t making me do them, and they are my chores now.”

  Somewhat taken aback, Bethany filled their plates and took her place at the foot of the table. She looked at Ivan. “Would you like to sit at the head of the table and lead the prayers from now on?”

  Both his eyebrows rose. “Really?”

  It was the responsibility of the male head of an Amish household to signal the beginning and the end of the silent blessing before meals. Their grandfather had always been the one to lead prayers. After his death Bethany took over the task, never once considering that it should have fallen to Ivan. To her, he was still a child, but he wasn’t little anymore.

  She realized her brother was waiting for her reply. “Of course you may.”

  He moved his plate and sat down opposite her. Bowing his head, he clasped his hands together. Bethany did the same and silently repeated the blessing. When she was finished she waited with her head bowed for Ivan’s signal. He unfolded his hands and picked up his fork. Jenny had her eyes closed. Ivan cleared his throat.

  Jenny peeked at him with one eye. “Are you done?”

  He nodded once. “I am.”

  “Goot.” She reached for her glass of milk.

  Ivan poured honey and milk on his oatmeal. “Jenny, I want you to gather the eggs for Bethany every day.”

  Jenny looked puzzled. “I do it when she asks me to.”

  “It will be your chore every morning before school, starting tomorrow. Bethany has enough to do.”

  Jenny shrugged. “Okay. Pass me a piece of toast, Ivan.”

  Bethany couldn’t understand this sudden change in Ivan. What had Michael said to him? She wanted to ask but she didn’t want to discuss it in front of her little sister. Jenny had a habit of blurting out things she had overheard.

  Later, when the children were ready to go meet the bus, Bethany brought out their lunch boxes. “Ivan, did you complete the homework your teacher gave you?”

  “Not all of it, but I’ll stay in at recess and get the rest of it done.”

  “I’m pleased to hear you say that.” But could she trust that he meant what he said?

  “And you won’t skip school again. Is that clear?” she said firmly.

  “Michael and I talked about it last night. I won’t skip.” Ivan took his lunch box from her. “He’s a goot fellow.”

  “I like him and his dog.” Jenny grabbed her lunch box and headed out the door. Ivan followed close behind her, leaving Bethany more curious than ever about what Michael had said to inspire her brother.

  After dressing warmly, she hiked up the hill to the cabin and knocked. She waited and knocked again but he didn’t answer. She checked the barn and found his pony and cart were gone. Disappointed, she went back down the hill. Her talk with him would just have to wait.

  * * *

  For most of the next day and a half Michael wrestled with the notion of leaving New Covenant. He came here because he hoped the remoteness of the settlement and a change of scenery would put a stop to his anxiety attacks and flashbacks. To have such a profound episode occur within a week of his arrival was deeply disappointing. In the end he decided he had to stay. There was nowhere else to hide. He didn’t want his decision to be emotional. As much as he tried to dismiss one important factor, he couldn’t. Bethany was here.

  If he was going to stay, he needed to work. He had a choice between building sheds with Jesse and the bishop or doing what he loved. The only drawback with repairing timepieces was that he’d be working for Bethany. He liked her. A lot. But there was no future there as long as he could fall apart at any second. His episode Sunday night had driven that fact home.

  He would go back to his original plan. Bury himself in his work and remain apart from people as much as possible. He walked down the hill and found Bethany hanging wash on the line at the side of the house. Her clothesline stretched from the back porch to a nearby pine tree. A pulley system allowed her to pin her clothes on the line and move them out without stepping off the porch into the snow.

  He nodded to her. “Guder mariye, Bethany. May I see your grandfather’s workshop?”

  She hesitated a fraction of a second then nodded. “Of course. It’s this way.”

  She walked through the house into the kitchen and opened a door. “This was my grandfather’s workroom.”

  His disappointment must have shown on his face. She tipped her head slightly. “Is something wrong?”

  He didn’t want a workshop attached to the house where family members could come and go as they pleased. He wanted a space all to himself. “I thought the workshop was one of th
e other buildings on the farm.”

  She shook her head. “Grandfather liked being close to us. He usually kept the door open, but if you’re thinking that we will disturb you, you can keep it closed.”

  “I don’t like interruptions while I’m working.”

  Her smile was forced. “That’s understandable. We will make it a point to not interrupt you. You may add a bolt to the door or a lock if you prefer.”

  “That will not be necessary. As long as everyone’s aware that I’m not to be bothered while I’m working, that should suffice.” He stepped through the doorway into a tidy room with a long workbench in front of a large window. The workbench itself was made of oak. It had four shallow drawers across the front.

  He opened the first drawer. Numerous screwdrivers were lined up by size in a wooden holder that had obviously been custom-made. The next drawer held a jeweler’s loupe and several magnifying lenses all nestled into cotton batting. The third drawer held an assortment of gears and springs Elijah must have scavenged from clocks of all types. The fourth drawer held ledgers, receipt books, stationery and padded envelopes.

  Michael looked around the room at the dozen or so clocks hanging on the walls, some in various stages of repair. The running ones ticked softly. “Your grandfather was obviously a man who took great care with his tools.” He ran his finger along the top of the workbench. It was satin smooth.

  “Daadi believed in a place for everything and everything in its place. He liked to use authentic old tools. He said they simply do the job better than the new ones.”

  “I have to agree.” Along the back of the workbench were several dozen books stacked on top of each other. Michael picked up one and read the title. “Clocks of the 1800s.”

  She picked a book up and ran her fingers over the colorful cover. “Daadi would spend his free time reading about the history of clocks. I would often find him in here late at night poring over antique books on the ancient practice of clock making. I could never understand how he knew what all those little gears and wheels did.”

  “Repairing a clock can be complicated work, but it can also be simple when the pieces speak for themselves.”

  “How so?”

  “Everything inside of a clock’s mechanisms has a purpose. Everything is there for a reason. If you work backward, if you understand what part connects to another part and then another, the clock will tell you what each part does.”

  She swept her hand through the air, indicating all the timepieces on the walls. “I think you love the art of this the way he did.”

  “There is something fascinating and beautiful inside each clock I open. I’m happy when I can return it to someone who has treasured it. Often I see them smile when they hear a clock chime again because it brings back good memories.”

  She smiled softly and swiveled the old leather chair around to face her. “Good memories are important.”

  She looked at him. “Now that you have had a chance to see the workshop, what do you think? Are you interested in a partnership?”

  “I can work in here.”

  She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”

  He hesitated a second but then accepted her handshake. “We have a deal.”

  He held on to her fingers a few seconds longer than he needed to. She blushed as she pulled her hand away.

  * * *

  Bethany couldn’t ignore the attraction she felt for Michael. The amazing thing was she had only known him a few days. Maybe letting him work here wasn’t a good idea. For some reason she felt off balance when he looked at her with that penetrating gaze of his.

  She gave herself a hard mental shake. She was being ridiculous. He needed the work and she needed the income. It wasn’t like antique watch repairmen grew on trees. She would have to make sure she kept the relationship strictly business.

  “Are you comfortable in the cabin?”

  “It’s snug. Or it will be when the new window gets in. Pastor Frank took the measurements last night. He’s going to order a replacement for me.”

  She slipped her hands in the pockets of her apron. “Make sure the bill is sent to me. Ivan mentioned that you encouraged him to remain in school. I don’t know what else you said to him but he is a changed boy. He’s doing chores without being told. He’s catching up on his schoolwork. Is he still splitting wood for you?”

  “Without fail.”

  “Good. However, I still think I should have been included in the conversation.”

  Michael faced her. “Ivan said you treat him like a little child and not like the man of the house. I doubt he would have spoken so plainly about it if you had been in the room. I told him if he’d act like a man he would be treated as such.”

  “I don’t agree with his assessment.”

  Michael grinned. “I didn’t think you would. You have to admit that you don’t treat him like a grown fellow.”

  Of all the nerve. “You haven’t been around this family long enough to make an assumption like that.”

  “It wasn’t my assumption. It was Ivan’s.” He smiled broadly as if inviting her to share the joke. She didn’t find it funny.

  “And if Ivan’s change of heart wears off in a week or two, I imagine I’ll be the one to blame.” What possessed her to imagine she was attracted to this man? She knew from the first time they met that he was laughing at her. He was still laughing at her.

  His smile faded as he seemed to realize she was upset. “I’m sure he will backslide a time or two. That’s only natural. No one is looking to assign blame to you.”

  “That’s just it. Men are assigning blame to me. The bishop, my uncle, they assume I can’t control a boy Ivan’s age. They want to take the problem off my hands. He isn’t a problem. He’s my brother. I don’t know what we will do if the bishop insists on separating us, but I can tell you I won’t stand still for it.”

  “Defying the bishop could get you shunned.”

  “There are other Amish communities in Maine. As much as I loved my grandfather and shared his vision for New Covenant, I will move lock, stock and barrel before I give up my brother. You don’t need to worry about putting a lock on this door. I will not set foot in this room while you are here.”

  She walked out and slammed the door behind her.

  Chapter Seven

  “You should invite Michael to eat with us,” Ivan said at the dinner table three days after Michael had moved into the cabin.

  Bethany had spent much of the time regretting her outburst. She owed him an apology. Michael wasn’t the cause of her problem. She shouldn’t have taken her ill temper out on him. He had been trying to help.

  Michael had helped although the bishop might not be able to see the improvement in Ivan’s attitude. She was also certain he wouldn’t simply take her word for it.

  “Why can’t Sadie Sue eat with us, too?” Jenny asked.

  Bethany leveled a don’t-be-ridiculous look at Jenny. “Because I won’t allow a dog in the house at mealtime. I don’t care how much you like her. As for Michael, I haven’t asked him because he specifically said that he likes working alone and he likes his privacy. Now that he is going to be working in Grandfather’s shop, I want you both to understand that when that door is closed you are not to go in there.”

  “But what if I need something?” Jenny asked.

  Bethany put down her fork to stare at her sister. “What could you possibly need from Grandfather’s workshop?”

  “I don’t know. I might need to play with Sadie Sue. She likes to fetch sticks.”

  Bethany tried not to smile at her sister’s cajoling tone. “I’m sure there will be plenty of times that you can play with her. Just not while Michael is working.”

  Ivan helped himself to another dollop of potatoes. “Michael might like to work alone but that doesn’t mean he likes to eat alone. You should ask him.”r />
  “I’ll consider it.” That was all she was going to say on the subject. “Are you excited about having Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow at the Lapp farm?”

  Jenny held her hand high in the air. “I am. No school for four days.”

  Bethany looked at her brother. “What about you, Ivan?”

  “Jeffrey won’t be there. I won’t have anyone to hang out with.”

  “I’m sure that the Miller boys will include you in any games they start.” The trio of cousins were in their late teens but they normally included Ivan in their group sports during church get-togethers. There were so few people in New Covenant yet. She wasn’t sure that all of those would stay after enduring a Maine winter.

  “Is Michael going to be there?” Ivan looked at her hopefully.

  Bethany thought back over the times she and Michael had spent together. “I don’t believe I mentioned it to him. Jesse may have told him about it.”

  Ivan pushed back his chair. “I’ll go invite him.”

  “After you finish your supper.” Although Bethany hadn’t liked hearing that she treated Ivan as a child, she had to admit there were some things their grandfather had done that Ivan could take over.

  “I thought perhaps you could read some passages from the Bible for us tonight. I have to work on Jenny’s Christmas program costume.”

  “You really want me to?” He looked amazed.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Sure. I’d be happy to do that. When I’m finished eating can I invite Michael to the Thanksgiving dinner?”

  She glanced at the door and then back to her brother. “You’ll have to go outside and check if there is a light in the workshop windows. If there is, wait until he is finished working. If there isn’t a light, go ahead and go up to the cabin. But first, how was your day at school?”

  “I’m caught up on my work.” His comment lacked enthusiasm. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “I’m happy to hear that. What else happened today?”

  “Somebody said I stole money from their locker. I didn’t but I’m not sure the teacher believed me. She looked through my desk and didn’t find anything.”